Automobile-top.



A. VETTER'.

AUTOMOBILE TOP. APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1918.

1,299,637. Patented Apr. 8,1919.

JNVEN T012 i and has for its primary object the provision Toledo, in the EN FFIGE.

ALBERT vn'r'rnn, or TOLEDO, OHIO AUTOMOBILE-TOP.

Application filed Apri125, 1918.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I. ALBERT VETTER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented. a certain new and useful Automobile-Top; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Wlll enable others skilled in the art to which it apertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompan ing drawings, erence marked of this specifiand to the characters of re thereon, which form a part cation.

This invention relates to automobile tops,

of improved means for securing the covers to the top frames of automobiles in an easy and quick manner without the use of securing tacks or the like, whereby to facilitate the upholstery work on tops of this character and to lessen the expense incident thereto. Further objects and advantages of the invention will 'be apparent from the following detailed descriptionthereof,

While the invention, in itsbroader aspect, is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the upper portion of an automobile body with the top thereof-raised and in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged-fragmentary view of the top, as shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away and removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged bottom plan view of one of the longitudinally extending pad strips of the top, with parts broken away. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of the top, with parts'broken away and removed. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section of a side portion of the top, and Fig. 6 is a detail of a portion of one of the rear tension straps of the top and its anchors. v

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of an automobile and 2 the top frame thereof, in the present instance, of the one-man type, which frame is provided with the customary rear, intermediate and front cover supporting bows 3', 4 and 5.

The top covering 6 extends from the front bow 5 over the intermediate and rear bows and thence down at the rear and is secured at its lower rear edge to the body back by pivot-studs 7, or in any other suitable or Specification of Letters Patent.

Pate'ntedApr. s, 1919.

Serial No. 230,685.

convenient manner.- The cover 6 has its front edge extending down at the front side of the front bow 5 and provided with a plurality of transversely spaced tabs 8, which are drawn tightly around the bottom and rear sides of the bow 5 and removably engaged to the rear side of the bow by pivotstuds 9, or in any other suitable manner. The cover 6 is also provided at its upper rear corner at its point of engagement with the rear bow 3 with a plurality of transversely spaced tabs 10, which extend around the bow and are removably engaged at their free ends to the front side of the bow by means of pivot-studs 11, or in any other suitable manner. In most top covers a seam 12 (Fig. 4) is provided at the upper rear corner thereof and if such seam is present the tabs 10 are preferably joined at their inner ends therewith. It is thus evident that the cover is firmly held stretched over the top bows by the engagement of the tabs 8 and 1 body 1.

It is customary n mosttops to provide a padding strip 13 extending from the front to the rear edge thereof along each side portion to fill out or assist the bows in shaping the cover at the curved sides thereof, such strips being tacked to the bows over which it extends together with the cover. In the present instance, the padding strips 13 are made easily removable from the bows by providing a plurality of hooks 14, preferably of metal, at each end thereof for engaging around the front and bottom edge portions of the respective front and rear bows of the top frame. The hooks 14 may be secured in any suitable manner to the front edge portion of the padding strips, but for the purpose of strength are preferably attached to crossmetal strips 15, which are embedded in the end portions of the padding strips. The spacing of the hooks 14 is sufficient to permit the fitting of the adjacent cover-tabs 8 and 10 therebetween, as best shown in Fig. 4. The padding strips 13 are provided preferably at their inner edge portions, over each intermediate bow 4, with an upward U-shaped clip 16, which is adapted to be sprung down over the respective bow. In order to these clips in position on the bows, each is yieldingly retain Q or the like.

preferably provided with an indent 17 which fits into a recess provided in the bow. It is also preferable to provide one of the hooks 14 at each end of a strip with an indent 18 (Fig. 3) for engaging within a registering recess in the coacting side of the engaged bow to prevent a shifting of the padding strips transversely of the top.

Each padding strip 13 is preferably provided along the inner edge thereof with a longitudinally extending strap or tape 19 which extends from one end to the other of the strip and thence from the rear end'thereof down to the back portion of the body 1 is exerted thereby to which it is firmly anchored, preferabl in an adjustable manner, as illustrated in ig. 6. The front end of the tape 19 is anchored to one of the hooks 14 at such end or to the cross-strip 15 and to the rear end of the padding strip so that a longitudinal stress to .the padding strip throughout its lengtl It 1s evident with my improved top covering that such covering and the padding members therefor may be easily and quickly secured to a top frame or removed thereform, thereby materially lessening the work and expense incident to the securing of covers on the top frames of automobiles I .wish it understood that my invention is" not limited to any. specificoonstruction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim' as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automobiletop, the combination with the frame, cross-bows and-the top cover, of padding strips for the cover extending over the cross-bows, hooks at the ends of said strips for releasably engaging the respective front and rear cross-bows, and means on the strips for releasably engaging the intermediate cross-bows.

2. In an automobile top, the combination with the frame, cross-bows and the'top cover, of padding strips for the cover extendin over the cross-bows,- means at the ends 0 said strips for releasably engaging the front and rear cross-bows, and a tension strap extending from one end to the other of each of said strips and from the rear end thereof to form an anchoring member.

3. In an automobile top, the combination with the frame, cross-bows and the top cover, of padding strips for the cover extendin over the cross-bows, nooks at the ends 0 said stri s for releasably engaging the respective l.- int and rear cross-bows, means on the strips for releasably engaging the intermediate cross-bows, and means extending from the rear ends of the strips and forming anchors therefor.

4. In an automobile top, the combination with the frame, cross-bows and the top .cover, of padding strips for the cover extending over the cross-bows, hooks at the ends of said strips for releasably engaging the respective front and rear cross-bows, means on the stripsfor releasably engaging the intermediate cross-bows, and a tension strap extending from one end to the other of each of said strips and from the rear end thereof to form an anchoring member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this'specification.

ALBERT VETTER. 

